Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of chronic diarrhea:

Cause

Probability

Status

Giardia

99%

Confirm

Food Poisoning

13%

Unlikely

Intestinal Obstruction

12%

Unlikely

Bacterial Dysbiosis

4%

Ruled out

Intestinal Malabsorption

3%

Ruled out

Short Bowel Syndrome

2%

Ruled out

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

1%

Ruled out

Diverticular Disease

1%

Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

In the Bowel Movement Symptoms section of the questionnaire, The Analyst™ will ask the following question about duration of current diarrhea symptoms:

If you suffer significantly from diarrhea (at least once per week), for how long has this been a problem?

Possible responses:

→ It is not a problem / don't know
→ It started within the last week
→ It started within the last month
→ I've had it for 1 to 3 months
→ I've had it for over 3 months

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate no significant diarrhea, recent onset diarrhea, diarrhea for 1-3 months or chronic diarrhea, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Rapid passage (or transit) of stool is one of the most common causes of diarrhea. Stool that leaves the large intestine too quickly is watery: there is not enough time for fluid and nutrients to be absorbed from the contents of the gastrointestinal tract.